In fact, to hear some Disney insiders talk, if
"Tangled" hadn't been as successful as it was when this WDAS
production hit theaters back in November of 2010 (This Nathan Greno / Bryon
Howard film would eventually earn $200 million domestically and more than $593
million worldwide), there never would have been a "Frozen."

Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved

Well, while the $1.27 billion worth of tickets that Anna
& Elsa sold has long since thrown Rapunzel's bountiful box office success
into eclipse, Disney execs haven't forgotten about this long haired heroine. In
fact, over the past 5 years, they've done everything that that they could to
keep "Tangled" and its characters out there in the spotlight.

These efforts included "Tangled Ever After" (i.e.,
the 2012 animated short that detailed what happened at Rapunzel & Flynn
Rider's wedding), that 16-foot-high stone sculpture which pays tribute to
Rapunzel's tower which was erected in Disneyland Park's new Fantasy Faire area
back in 2013, not to mention that 29
foot-long "Tangled" -themed unit which began rolling through WDW's
Magic Kingdom back in 2014 as part of that theme park's new "Festival of
Fantasy" parade.

Virtually every arm of The Walt Disney Company has been
involved in this keep-Rapunzel-front-of-mind effort. Take -- for example -- how
Disney Interactive made this frying-pan-wielding female a playable character in
their Disney Infinity game. Or how -- starting this November -- the Disney
Cruise Line will begin presenting "Tangled: The Musical" aboard the
Disney Magic.

Rapunzel as she appeared in last year's Disney Junior special movie event,"The Curse of Princess Ivy." Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc.All rights reserved

But of all of the arms of the Mouse House, it's the Disney
Channel that's decided it most wants to be in the Rapunzel business. Which is
why -- on the heels of the great ratings that "Sofia the First: The Curse
of Princess Ivy" got last November (This Disney Junior special movie event
was the No. 1 primetime telecast for preschoolers last year, pulling in 4.7
million viewers) -- they've decided to put a "Tangled" animated
series into production.

Of course, understanding that Mandy Moore & Zachary Levi's
quirky vocal performances as Rapunzel & Flynn Rider were one of the main
reasons that audiences embraced "Tangled" in the first place, Disney Television
Animation has persuaded these two popular performers to come reprise their
roles on this new animated series. Likewise -- given that the songs that Alan
Menken & Glenn Slater crafted for this Academy Award-nominated production also
played a huge part in "Tangled" 's continued success -- the Disney
Channel knew that these two had to be part of this project as well. Which is
why Menken & Slater have begun writing new songs for this eagerly
anticipated series (which will begin airing on Disney Channels worldwide in
2017).

Mind you, the Disney Channel made sure that Menken, Moore,
Levi, and Slater were being backed up by top talent as they began working on
this new animated series. Which is why Disney Television Animation tapped Chris
Sonnenburg (who's probably best known for his work on Disney's
"Enchanted") and Shane Prigmore (who helped shepherd last year's surprise smash, "The Lego
Movie," into theaters) to be the co-executive producers of this TV program.

As part of today's official announcement of Disney
Television Animation's "Tangled" series, Gary Marsh -- President and
Chief Creative Officer of Disney Channels Worldwide -- was quick to praise the
talented team that has come together to make this new TV show possible.

"The genius of the original movie was its seamless
blending of cinematic adventure, character-driven comedy and touching
emotion," Marsh explained. "And we are fortunate to have several of
the creative talent from that movie on board with this new production. With the addition of Chris and Shane as
Executive Producers, we have the perfect team in place to create a series
worthy of the original film."

As for the show itself, the creative team behind Disney
Television Animation's "Tangled" series (which includes celebrated
artist Claire Keane, the daughter of Disney Legend Glen Keane who was animation
supervisor on the original "Tangled" movie) has decided to set this
new TV show in that period which falls between the end of the 2010 full-length
animated feature and the opening of Disney's 2012 animated short, "Tangled
Ever After."

Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved

To be specific, "Tangled" the animated series unfolds as Rapunzel
acquaints herself with her parents, her kingdom and the people of Corona.
Her irrepressible spirit and natural curiosity about the world drives Rapunzel
to the realization that there is so much more she needs to learn before she can
truly accept her royal destiny. So Rapunzel boldly puts her crown and impending
marriage on hold to seek out epic adventures. Much to the dismay of the King
who -- after missing out on Rapunzel's youth -- must accept that his daughter
is now an independent young woman.

Just so you know: The "Tangled" animated series follows
in the footsteps of 2014's "The 7D" (which brought a radically
reimagined Seven Dwarfs to the small screen) and 2016's "The Lion
Guard" (The upcoming Disney Junior show which continues the story of
"The Lion King" by placing Simba's son Kion in charge of protecting
the Pride Lands) in that it expands the reach / extends the life of some of The
Walt Disney Company's most valuable characters & franchises by reinventing
them for television.

Simba's son Kion gets ready to pounce in "The Lion Guard," which will debut as a series on Disney Junior starting in 2016. Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved

And if you're a "Tangled" fan and 2017 is just too
long to wait to for the further adventures of Rapunzel & Flynn Rider ...
Well, I guess that you could make your way to the Disneyland Resort this
summer. Where the characters & music from "Tangled" are prominently
featured in all three of the new nighttime shows that debuted last month as
part of the Happiest Place
on Earth's Diamond Celebration (AKA Disneyland's 60th
anniversary celebration).

This article was originally posted on the Huffington Post's Entertainment page on Wednesday, June 3, 2015